Hello Albania

Now that we’ve been in Albania for a couple of days and are finally settling in, I feel like I can actually pause for a moment and reflect on the journey that brought us here.

As my husband and I packed our bags for Albania (the night before because that’s how we roll), I felt a mix of emotions, excitement, nerves, gratitude, curiosity… and honestly, a little disbelief that we’re actually going. While many of the Sewing Seeds team members are seasoned pros at these trips and have experienced this kind of travel before, this is our very first time joining a mission like this. And that makes it feel even more meaningful.

For many weeks, and many many hours ahead of time, Sylvia and the Sewing Team have been prepping the projects, gathering the supplies, packing and repacking the suitcases. As Brett and I packed we’d get texts like “do you have room for 10 more pound in either of your bags?” Everything is detailed and accounted for. Each suitcased weighed.

The nice part, for us newbies to the area, is that Brett worked and lived in Albania for seven years so he’s not new to the actual journey, just the experience with this team. So we are all a little relieved to have someone with us who knows what to expect.

We were especially grateful for that expertise in the Frankfurt airport. What a crazy place! For a place that handles approximately 154,00 to 168,000 passengers daily, you’d think it would be a little more organized! With a 2 hour lay-over we almost missed the flight! Gratitude for Brett for getting us ahead in line.

One of my favourite parts so far has been watching the team dynamic. There’s so much heart within this group, and you can feel the shared purpose that brought everyone here. Watching Tammy, Candice and Adriana set up all the supplies was such a highlight. I didn’t expect it as it seems pretty simple, but listening to the excitement in their voices as they unpacked everything from the suitcases and got it all lined up. I had to grab the camera to try and capture it because it was so awesome. It allowed me to fully witness the passion behind the mission.

Even through the travel exhaustion, adjustments, learning the lay of the land, I can feel the gratitude settling in.

Grateful to be here.

Grateful to experience this alongside such an incredible team.

And grateful that my husband and I said yes to this adventure together.

This is only the beginning.

I already know Albania is going to leave a mark on us in ways we probably can’t fully understand yet. But that’s the beauty of stepping into something unexperienced, sometimes the most meaningful journeys begin before you even realize how much they’re about to change you.